SEE THIS LATEST DEVELOPMENT AS A
LOOMING THREAT.
AS CHINA INCREASINGLY RIVALS
AMERICAN SEA POWER. THIS, ITS
LATEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER, THE
TYPE 003, ALSO CALLED THE
FUJIAN. TONIGHT, THERE ARE NEW
SATELLITE IMAGES THAT ANALYSTS
BELIEVE SHOW AN ENGINEERING
PROTOTYPE FOR AN AIRCRAFT
CARRIER. THE CONFIGURATION DOES
NOT MATCH THE FUJIAN OR ANY
OTHER CHINESE CARRIER. ANALYSTS
SAY THAT SUGGESTS THAT CHINA IS
MOVING FORWARD WITH EFFORTS TO
BUILD A NUCLEAR POWERED
SUPERCARRIER.
WE THINK.
THIS IS.
THEM THEM.
TESTING EQUIPMENT AND LAYOUTS
FOR THE UPCOMING TYPE.
ZERO FOUR CARRIER.
THE IMAGES TAKEN BETWEEN
APRIL AND JANUARY AT DALIAN
SHIPYARDS IN NORTHEAST CHINA.
NBC NEWS SPOKE TO FIVE EXPERTS
WITH A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE
CHINESE MILITARY, ALL ASSESSING
THESE TWO TRACKS, WHICH APPEARED
TO BE THE CATAPULT LAUNCH SYSTEM
FOR AIRCRAFT, ARE A DISTINCTIVE
SIGN THAT CHINA IS BEGINNING TO
MOVE FORWARD WITH THE
CONSTRUCTION OF A SUPER CARRIER.
THE CURRENT CARRIER.
THE TYPE ZERO THREE.
HAS THREE.
ELECTROMAGNETIC CATAPULTS,
TWO.
UP FRONT AND ONE AT THE
WAIST. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS IS
THAT THEIR NEW CARRIER WILL HAVE
FOUR CATAPULTS, LIKE THE LIKE
THE GERALD FORD AND OTHER US
CARRIERS. SO IT’LL HAVE TWO UP
FRONT AND TWO AT THE WAIST.
A NUCLEAR SUPERCARRIER WOULD
MATCH AMERICA’S LATEST
GENERATION OF AIRCRAFT CARRIERS,
THE GERALD FORD CLASS, ENABLING
CHINA TO PROJECT POWER ACROSS
THE PACIFIC AND CLOSER TO
AMERICA.
CHINA COAST GUARD 14608.
CHINA FLEXING ITS MUSCLES
AGAIN THIS WEEK, RENEWING LIVE
FIRE DRILLS AROUND TAIWAN AND A
RECENT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
REPORT ESTIMATED CHINA’S DEFENSE
BUDGET IS 40 TO 90% MORE THAN IT
PUBLICLY ADMITS. THAT WOULD
MATCH US DEFENSE SPENDING IN
- THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
MAKES NO SECRET THAT IT SEES
CHINA AS A PRIORITY, THE
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE TELLING
NATO LEADERS THEY SHOULD
SHOULDER MORE OF THE SECURITY
BURDEN IN EUROPE TO FREE UP US
FIREPOWER, SAYING.
WE ALSO FACE.
A PEER COMPETITOR IN THE
COMMUNIST CHINESE WITH THE
CAPABILITY AND INTENT TO
THREATEN OUR HOMELAND AND CORE
NATIONAL INTERESTS IN THE
INDO-PACIFIC. THE US IS
PRIORITIZING DETERRING WAR. WITH
CHINA IN THE PACIFIC.
CHINA ALREADY HAS A LARGER
NAVY THAN THE UNITED STATES, AND
IS MATCHING MANY OF AMERICA’S
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES, AND IN
SOME WAYS, SURPASSING THEM. THIS
SMALL CARRIER IS UNLIKE ANY SHIP
IN ANY OTHER NAVY. SOME EXPERTS
BELIEVE IT IS THE WORLD’S FIRST
BESPOKE DRONE CARRIER.
FOR THIS.
ONE PURPOSE, FOR ITS NAVAL
CAPABILITY, BEIJING SAYS TO
PROTECT CHINA’S EXPANDED TRADE
LINKS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN 2023, NBC
NEWS VISITED A MASSIVE NEW
CIVILIAN PORT IN PERU. COULD WE
ONE DAY SEE A SHIP FROM THE
PEOPLE’S LIBERATION NAVY DOCKING
THIS PORT?
WELL, THIS.
PORT IS ORIENTATED TO.
COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES, BUT
CHINA’S DETERMINATION TO
DOMINATE THE PACIFIC SITS MORE
THAN UNCOMFORTABLY WITH
AMERICA’S LONG STANDING ROLE
THERE. EXPERTS SAY THESE NEW
IMAGES SUGGEST CHINA’S FIRST
NUCLEAR SUPERCARRIER IS A LONG
WAY OFF, PERHAPS FIVE YEARS AWAY
OR MORE. THE US STILL HAS TIME
FOR THAT LONG TALKED ABOUT PIVOT
TO ASIA AND FOR DIPLOMACY.
AND WITH THAT.
KEIR SIMMONS JOINS TOP STORY
TONIGHT. SIR KEIR WHAT IS CHINA
SAYING ABOUT WHY IT’S ESCALATING
THEIR DEFENSE CAPABILITIES.
WELL TOM CHINA HAS ACCUSED
THE US OF QUOTE PROVOCATIONS AND
HAS WARNED OF A CONFLICT CAUSED
BY AMERICAN ACTIONS. PRESIDENT
XI HAS SAID HE AIMS TO DEFEND
TERRITORIAL SOVEREIGNTY AND TO
PROTECT STABILITY. BUT TOM, HERE
IS A TRUISM IN DEFENSE THINKING
THAT HOPEFULLY DOESN’T APPLY
HERE. ONE SIDE MAY THINK IT IS
TAKING DEFENSIVE ACTIONS. THE
OTHER SIDE MAY THINK THOSE
ACTIONS ARE EQUALLY OFFENSIVE.
AND THAT’S HOW TWO SIDES CAN
STUMBLE INTO CONFLICT.
AND KEIR, AS YOU REPORT ON
THIS BUILD UP FROM CHINA HERE IN
THE US, THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH
COVERAGE, ESPECIALLY HERE ON TOP
STORY ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING
WITH ELON MUSK AND THE NEW TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION AND DOGE AND
TRYING TO CUT OUT GOVERNMENT
WASTE AND GOVERNMENT SPENDING.
IS THAT HITTING THE PENTAGON AND
OUR DIRECT MILITARY SPENDING
WHEN IT COMES TO AIRCRAFT
CARRIERS AND OR WEAPONRY?
YEAH. LOOK, DOGE IS LOOKING
AT DEFENSE SPENDING, BUT
COMPARED WITH THE AMOUNT OF
DEFENSE SPENDING, WELL, IT MAY
BE KIND OF A DROP IN THE OCEAN.
I MEAN, STAND BY SOME BY SOME
MIND BENDING NUMBERS, TOM. THE
US SPENDS ALMOST $1 TRILLION ON
DEFENSE. US DEBT IS $36
TRILLION. AND SO THAT IS PUTTING
A LIMIT ON HOW MUCH MORE THE US
CAN SPEND. AND IT HAS TO BE
APPROVED BY CONGRESS. SO HERE’S
WHAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS
TRYING TO DO AND HERE’S WHY IT’S
SO DIFFICULT. IT’S TRYING TO
MANAGE THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE
EAST. IT’S TRYING TO TACKLE THE
UKRAINE RUSSIA CONFLICT. AND AT
THE SAME TIME, IT IS TRYING TO
CUT DEFENSE SPENDING OR
RATIONALIZE, IF YOU LIKE, WHILE
TURNING AND FACING THE CHALLENGE
OF CHINA. IT IS AN